


Train Companions

by rainbow_teatime (peachymintyskies)



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2018-02-20 04:59:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2415833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachymintyskies/pseuds/rainbow_teatime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino did not like crowded trains... until he met someone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Train Companions

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by "A Sorta Fairytale" by Tori Amos, because the feel of the song just makes me imagine two people watching each other discreetly on a train.

The rumble of the incoming trains grew louder in Ninomiya Kazunari's ears as he looked around the crowded train platform in slight disdain. If not for the fact that he just HAD to be transferred to another branch of his game development company almost ten stops away, he would have gladly slept in and taken the leisurely late-morning bus to work.  
  
"But no, for some strange reason it just HAS to be all the way there," Nino grumbled in his mind as he entered the train, immediately having to jostle whatever little space he could find to prevent himself from getting squashed. He sighed as he looked up at the train routes map above him as he moved to the door on the other side of the train. It was going to be a long way, and if he was going to be standing all the way to his stop he was sure that his legs would be falling out halfway there.  
  
Deciding to distract himself with something, he leaned against the wall beside the door, taking out a deck of cards that always accompanied him in his pocket. What better way to start off the day than with a little bit of cardistry practice? He managed to perform several basic cuts and shuffles amidst the gentle shaking of the train, but the train jolted suddenly, breaking his concentration and the cards landed in a spectacular mess unto the floor, to his dismay and to the annoyance of those around him.  
  
He sighed deeply as he bent down to pick up the cards, praying that no one steps on them (it was a limited edition Bicycle deck and he had to spend hours outbidding some idiot to get it). Suddenly, he felt a warm hand brush his by accident.  
  
"I'll help you," a gentle voice said. Nino looked up to meet sleepy-looking brown eyes of a slightly tanned man. He gave the man a grateful nod and smile as he continued gathering his cards up, making a mental note never to practice with his cards on the train again unless it is nearly empty. Presently, the other man had stood up, handing the rest of the deck to him.  
  
"Thank you!" Nino said with a bright smile on his face. The man simply nodded and shuffled back to his spot... opposite Nino's original standing spot. Nino simply looked at him in pleasant surprise as he went back to his spot, now doing nothing but gazing out of the window. He did not know when the other man got off.. and alighted the train at his stop like he always did.  
  
That was the first time Ninomiya Kazunari had seen that man... and he certainly did not expect to see that same guy at the same spot on the same train again the next day, but armed with a sketchbook. Or the day after with a fishing magazine. Or the day after the day after with nothing in his hands, but simply standing there, sleeping while standing and leaning against the wall like Nino himself.  
  
"He can really sleep anywhere, huh," Nino thought as he looked outside for a moment before gazing sideways at him.  
  
"He looks... quite like a bear when he sleeps..." Nino thought as he observed the chubby but handsome face of the man sleeping opposite him. His eyes were closed, showing off his long lashes. His shirt crumpled lightly by the sleeves as his arms stay folded. His lips were slightly parted, and Nino could not help but chide himself quietly for staring too much, and at a stranger at that.  
"I must be out of my mind,"Nino thought as he looked away awkwardly to gaze out of the window.  
  
It, of course, did not occur to him that he had been subconsciously choosing the same spot in the train by habit for those few days.. and that he would be doing the same the next few weeks.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Ohno Satoshi fingered the pencil in his pocket as he stared at the blank page of his sketchbook in front of him. He was wondering what he should draw until he casually looked up from his spot to see the man standing opposite him. His brown-gold eyes were concentrating on the Nintendo 3DS propped in front of him, his stubby looking fingers mashing the buttons fiercely. He gave an inaudible, amused chuckle at the sight.  
  
He had found his subject. He smiled gently as his pencil started laying lines for his subject's soft hair. His fingers worked the pencil tip down from the man's forehead to the smooth arc of his face. Just as he was about to look up at his subject, more morning passengers entered, and the crowd in the train shifted themselves into the space between them. Ohno sighed as he looked down at the incomplete sketch before closing his book.  
  
"Wrong day to draw," he thought.  
  
Nino looked up, and frowned lightly at the sudden influx of passengers that soon appeared right in front of him. But no matter, he thought, since his stop was the next one.  
  
Ohno watched the crowd in front of him thin a little, only to find that his subject had alighted. He sighed to himself and stared outside forlornly for the rest of his ride.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
One dreary morning, Nino stepped into the train sulkily, brushing out the wet locks of hair from his eyes. To his disdain, in addition to the more-crowded-than-usual train it just had to rain on him halfway on his walk towards the station. He settled by his usual spot with slight annoyance, looking outside and staring at the grey skies with dread. He shivered lightly as the air-conditioner in the train blew towards him. He shivered lightly, only to feel something poking his arm. He paid no attention to it until the poking became more insistent. He turned to meet the familiar brown eyes of the sleeping-bear-man.  
  
"Take this," the man said, nudging him with a rolled up towel. Nino shook his head and smiled.  
  
"It's fine," he said, but his body betrayed him by making his nose sneeze.  
  
"You'll really catch a cold at this rate," the man commented, "just take it. You can return it to me next time."  
  
Nino sniffled and took the towel gratefully, dabbing his wet hair and drying himself. He looked up at the man to thank him again, only to see him returning to his sketchbook, working on his art with intense concentration.  
  
"I'd best not disturb him," Nino thought as he looked outside. It was still pouring outside, but to Nino, it seemed that the grey skies had cleared just a little, and the rain had lightened just a little as well.  
  
The next day, Nino took care to bring an umbrella. He went onto the train and found him again. This time, the man looked up, as if expecting his presence, and beamed at him.  
  
"Good morning," he said.  
  
"Good morning," Nino replied,  
  
"Here's your towel. Thank you so much for yesterday."  
  
"No problem at all. Glad to be of help," the man replied. Nino gave him a polite nod before resuming his spot by the window of the door, just like he always did. He watched the clouds drift by in the orange-ish sky, where the sun rays of a new day shone brightly upon the city. Nino looked away, only to catch a stunning view of the man's face that was illuminated gloriously by the sun. The man seemed to feel his gaze, because he looked up from his sketchbook and their eyes met for a brief moment before Nino quickly averted his eyes away.  
  
Ohno stared at the man before him, who had presently looked at the window, only to see the light of the sun rays bounce right off his porcelain-skinned face. It was as if he was staring at an angel. And a rather beautiful one at that. He looked down at his sketch and began erasing and redrawing quickly, trying to keep the image of his subject's sun-kissed face in his memory.  
He, of course, had no idea that his subject was blushing away and wondering why his heart was pounding so quickly.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
One day, Nino stepped onto the train, smiling fondly at the man who was sleeping again while standing. He went to his usual spot and grinned as he took a picture of his sleeping face with his phone. He then leaned against the wall as he fully took in the man's unguarded sleeping appearance. He seemed so peaceful, even in the midst of the morning human traffic, his lips curled up in an adorable smile, as if he was having the sweetest dream ever. And Nino wondered why he felt like he could just stare at that quiet sleeping face for a long, long time.  
  
Ohno woke up from his sleep, only to see a now-familiar back retreating away from him towards the exit. He tried to call out, but then recalled that he did not get his name.  
  
"... he did not even say hi," Ohno mumbled with a light pout.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"Eh? You're sending me to California?" Nino asked.  
  
"Yes. For a few months," his boss said, "we have a branch there and some exposure there will do you good. I've already submitted your name and info to them, so simply be prepared to leave in about 3 days."  
  
"... Alright," Nino said, "send me the flight and accommodation details as soon as you get them."  
Nino stood in the train the next morning, looking up at his acquaintance who was reading a fishing magazine.  
  
"Hello there."  
"Do you like fishing?"  
  
They said at the same time. Nino laughed.  
  
"You first," Nino said.  
  
"Do you like fishing?" the man asked.  
  
"... Nope," Nino said, "I get seasick easily."  
  
"... Oh..." Ohno said, looking back down at his magazine with a slight trace of disappointment. He had tried to strike up a conversation with his silent train companion, only to find out his interests were different.  
  
".. I won't be here for a few months soon."  
  
Ohno looked up at his train companion.  
  
"I'll be leaving for California the day after tomorrow," Nino said,"I'll be gone for a few months."  
Ohno looked back down at his magazine, his face frozen.  
  
"Ah..." he replied, not quite sure what else to say. Because a fact had dawned on him- he had only 2 more days to finish his sketch.  
  
Nino pursed his lips in slight disappointment as he looked outside.  
  
"Is that all he had to say?" he wondered as he looked outside, watching the skies grow overcast. Just then, his phone rang. It was his boss.  
  
"Yes.. Ah. Alright. 7pm.. Gate 15? Noted," Nino said before hanging up and saying nothing to the man opposite him.  
  
They were usually silent on the train, giving each other company in their own quiet, ways. Their silence had been a comfortable one all along.  
  
But this is one time when Ohno wished he had something else to say, and when Nino wished that he could hear more than just one word from him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Nino sighed dejectedly the next morning when he entered the train. His usual train companion was not around.  
  
"And I'm leaving tomorrow," he thought sullenly.  
  
He looked outside, watching the buildings pass him by.  
  
He forgot how many times he had seen this view outside the train. It had been months now since he had started taking the train to work, and while in the beginning he had no idea what he did in his past life to deserve such an inconvenience... he grew to look forward to each morning as time went by. Every step towards the train station was grew lighter and lighter as his steps grew faster and faster, almost wanting to hurry forward, but not to get to the office early...  
  
But to see HIM.  
  
The sleeping-handsome-bear-faced man who had become his train companion, and an indispensable one at that.  
  
Somehow, seeing that space now taken up by someone else felt so, so different. Like a part of his morning just was not there anymore.  
  
He wondered if he would get to see him for the last time the next morning. As he alighted, he prayed that he would, because he realised why his morning felt so incomplete.  
  
Because Nino had missed him.  
  
Meanwhile, Ohno sat down in his room, staring at the sketchbook. He had taken a day off just for this one project. He looked at the photo he had taken of the train station, and then stared at the small sketch he made of his train companion. He took a deep breath, flipping over to a new page and picking up his pencil.  
  
Hours and hours passed as he worked, and when he finally finished at 3 in the morning, he slept amidst the numerous balls of crumpled paper and scraps of rough sketches and yellow and blue paint blotches.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
The next morning, Ohno woke up, only to realise that he woke up late for work, and that he had missed his usual train. He looked at his masterpiece sadly.  
  
"There goes my chance to give it to him," Ohno thought. He closed his eyes and flopped onto the bed, wishing that he was right where his train companion was, watching the sun rise from their spot in the train for one last time before he leaves.  
  
Because deep in Ohno's heart, he knew he found in that man more than just a train companion. Something about the way that the sun brightens up that angelic face just makes his heart jump. And then there's that mischievous and adorable smile of his that effortlessly brings out his own. That man's face has been burned and branded into his memory with the sun rays and he knew why.  
  
 _"Yes.. Ah. Alright. 7pm.. Gate 15? Noted."_  
  
Ohno knew where to be and when.  
  
Nino had half the day off and went back home to pack. By 5pm he was already out of the house and on his way to the train station. He stepped onto the train after waiting by the same spot.  
  
He wasn't there.  
  
Nino gave the space a disappointed look. "I guess I won't be seeing him then."  
  
Ohno looked at the train door as his train companion's stop approaches.  
  
"He usually enters from here," he thought.  
  
He stood on tiptoe, looking out for him amidst the sea of people. But unfortunately, he wasn't there. Ohno pouted to himself as he looked at the train route map.  
  
"Just a few more stops," he thought, "just a few more."  
  
Nino wandered around the airport, looking for some food and some things he could bring on board (like more games for his 3DS). With a small hamburger in hand, he headed for the departure hall and sat down, waiting.  
  
Ohno sprinted out of the train and hurried out towards the airport. Frantically searching the signs, he ran towards the departure hall, looking at his watch. It was 6.45pm. He looked up to see a familiar figure sitting at one of the seats at gate 15.  
Nino soon heard fast-paced footsteps. Thinking it was his boss, he turned to the direction of that sound... and met a pair of urgent-looking brown eyes.  
  
"You-!" Nino choked out, gaping in complete surprise as he stared at his train companion, who was panting heavily from running.  
  
"I.. I..." Ohno wheezed between breaths, "I want to... g-give you... this.." With that, he handed over a small folder.  
  
Nino looked at the folder curiously and opened it. And his jaw dropped in surprise.  
  
Inside the folder were sketches... all of Nino himself.  
  
Nino sleeping while standing up.  
Nino playing with his 3DS on the train.  
Nino with his rain-soaked hair.  
Nino staring out of the window.  
Nino smiling.  
Nino scowling in annoyance.  
  
Nino could only stare at the sketches in surprise, and his fingers came in contact with a slightly stiff piece of watercolour paper. He took it out... and beheld a beautiful picture of a train arriving at a train station. Part of the train showed a crowded interior and two lone figures standing beside each other by the train door. Nino caught sight of himself painted in light shades of yellow and could recognise, to his pleasant surprise, his train companion painted in shades of blue beside him.  
  
"I know you're leaving in a matter of minutes," Ohno said nervously, "and that I know little about you, be it your name or what you work as, but I want to say that.. I...I..."  
  
Ohno cursed himself for running out of courage to say what he had wanted to say. But he realised he needn't say much after all, because the other man tugged at his arm and pulled him into a bear hug.  
  
"... it's okay," Nino said," I know. We have not known each other much, even though we've seen each other for months now."  
  
Ohno gulped and nodded.  
  
"But you know," Nino continued,"despite that, you've grown to be an important part of my day. Every great day had started out with you in it, you know?"  
  
Ohno nodded, sniffling lightly because he felt the same.  
  
"Yesterday, I was so mad at you because I didn't see you," Nino confessed, "and I think I was even more mad at myself for being angry at you for not seeing you, because under normal circumstances it didn't make sense."  
  
Ohno drew away from him, looking at him in surprise.  
  
"But I guess.." a red-faced Nino said in a low voice that only Ohno could hear, "falling in love with someone you barely knew on the train is not exactly a normal situation."  
  
Before Ohno could say anything, Nino had leaned over and planted a kiss on Ohno's cheek.  
  
"I have to go now," Nino said, and was about to leave when Ohno pulled him back by the arm and cupped his chin, meeting his lips with his own. It lasted for only a few seconds before Ohno drew back to speak.  
  
"All those sketches," Ohno said, "I redrew them yesterday from memory."  
  
Nino looked at him, stunned.  
  
"The last one wasn't, though. But my point is," Ohno said," I've always been watching you on the train ever since the day I first saw you with your 3DS and thought you to be cute. Your face has been on my mind ever since, and I could almost memorise every detail... down to that mole on the right side of your chin."  
  
Nino blushed.  
  
"So, I won't let you go without you telling me your name, and having your word that we will meet up again... not just on the train and not just as train companions... but that we'll be going many places together as so much more." Ohno said, and then exhaled. He said it. After weeks and months, he finally said it.  
  
Nino grinned and returned him a light kiss on the lips.  
  
"Ninomiya Kazunari," he said, "and im free on weekends."  
  
"Ohno Satoshi," Ohno breathed and when he sees Nino smile and lean towards him again, he corrected himself.  
  
He could not be looking at an angel- because he is more beautiful than one. Suddenly, in the midst of their passionate liplock, he remembered that Nino had a flight to catch.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to leave?" Ohno asked as they parted their lips once more for air, "it's 7."  
  
Nino laughed.  
  
"You heard me on the train, didn't you?" Nino said, "my flight is actually at 9, but I'm meeting my colleagues for dinner at 7."  
  
Ohno could not believe himself and slumped down on a seat, burying his embarrassed face into his hands.  
  
"And I rushed all the way here.." Ohno murmured. Nino took out his phone and tapped a few buttons before slipping his phone back in his pocket.  
  
"On second thoughts, I think I'll leave them to dinner on their own," Nino said and looked down at Ohno with a gleam in his eye, "shall we go out together for dinner?"  
  
Ohno was glad he had caught up with Nino after all.

  
*~*~*~One year later, in the present*~*~*~

  
"That was such a long while ago ne, Oh-chan?" Nino asked, leaning his head on his lover's shoulder. Ohno curled his arms around him, looking out of the balcony of their shared apartment.  
  
"Those few months without you were so lonely," Ohno complained with a pout,"I was only grateful that we got each other's email addresses to stay in contact."  
  
"Well, I don't recall being away on trips for more than two weeks ever since," Nino said. Ohno nodded and nuzzled his nose into the crook of Nino's neck, inhaling the scent that he had loved so well.  
  
Suddenly, the sound of two stomachs growling rumbled and the pair laughed.  
  
"Let's get to dinner, shall we?" Nino said. Ohno nodded and they shuffled back into their apartment, passing by their living room where a huge canvas picture was hung.  
  
It was a picture of a familiar train station with two familiar figures within a crowded train.  
  
Just a short distance away, a train chugged by peacefully on the tracks, heading towards the next station in the direction of the setting sun.


End file.
